APPLIQUE: Material that is applied to a background
substrate material. This material is adhesive backed and is 1/32"(.78
mm) thick. The outlines of characters and pictograms are cut out
using a rotary or laser system. The excess material is removed,
leaving the raised characters.

SUBSTRATE: This is the background material that
constitutes the size of the ADA sign. The appliqué and
the Braille raster beads are applied to
this material.

DOJ
:
The Department of Justice. The DOJ helps to create and enforce ADA
regulation and is the governing body that fines violations/takes them
to court. (Up to $55,000 for the first ADA violation and up to
$110,000 for further violations.)

US ACCESS BOARD
:
An independent federal agency devoted to accessibility for those with
disabilities and the leading source on accessible design; helped
write the ADA standards in partnership with the DOJ and the blind and
visually impaired communities.

ANSI:
American National Standards Institute. The Institute oversees the
creation of thousands of US consensus standards that directly impact
US businesses to strengthen
the country’s global position. ANSI does not develop standards like
the ADA, but rather accredits/validates the process.

ADAAG:
ADA requirements
are part of
the broader ADA accessibility guidelines (ADAAG), which contain
requirements for new construction and alteration. The Access Board
develops ADAAG
guidelines
to serve as the basis for
standards
like the ADA. ADA regulation is relevant in a portion of ADAAG,
including public accommodation, commercial facilities and state and
local government facilities. ADAAG is derived from the earlier UFAS
(Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards) and was created in 1991.